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Two men have been arrested as part of an probe into the dumping of many thousands of metric tons of rubbish in a rural field in Oxfordshire.

Officials reported that a 69-year-old was arrested at a residence in Hampshire's Andover, while a man in his fifties was taken into custody in Slough, Berkshire in relation with the massive pile of waste deposited near Kidlington.

These arrests come after a previous revelation which exposed the operation of in excess of 500 unauthorized dumps in England, encompassing at least 11 so-called "super sites" greater than 20,000 tonnes.

A official for the environmental body stated that the arrests were for ecological and financial offences and represented a "key step" in active probes. Both men have been released on conditional release.

Scale of the Situation

The dump in Kidlington, situated between the Cherwell River and the A34 road, is believed to house approximately 21,000 tons of refuse in a mound which is up to 150m (490ft) in length and 6m (20ft) tall.

This heap of rubbish is consists of what looks to be treated residential rubbish, fragmented plastic items, polystyrene, automobile tires and other everyday items.

It constitutes just one of 517 unlawful tips throughout England, at least 11 of which are estimated to hold over 20,000 tons of waste. Such sites encompass a 280,000-tonne area in Cheshire, two 50,000-tonne locations in Lancashire and Cornwall and a 36,000-tonne tip in Kent.

The overall figure of such major locations is probably to be larger, as the environmental agency has in the past indicated it does not hold information on volume for each unlawful site.

A large proportion of sites are in agricultural settings, frequently hidden, and on land that is intended to be agricultural land.

Criminal Activity

Authorities say numerous are run by organised crime gangs, who are making money by demanding much less than lawful operators to take and landfill waste.

Firms have to pay gate fees to use legitimate landfill sites, based on the amount and category of refuse they are trying to dispose of, and landfill tax is also applied at just over £126 per metric ton.

Public Anger

Initial efforts to clear the affected location started earlier this month amid fears over the threat of combustion and the impact that would have on the close-by A-road.

A contracted waste removal contractor has been given the task to deal with the site over the coming 12 months at a cost of £9.6m.

An investigations manager for the country's environment division commented that the authority would be aiming to recoup the clearance funds under asset recovery laws from any party ultimately prosecuted at the conclusion of its current inquiry.

She noted that these arrests would help "move the inquiry forward" and permit officials to "investigate more lines of inquiry to determine in detail what transpired and who was a party to it".

"The unauthorized dump at this location was an atrocious and calculated affront on our natural surroundings and we share the public's frustration at this horrific act," she remarked.

A government minister praised the arrests, stating: "This unauthorized deposit of waste at this location is appalling and has caused considerable harm to the ecology and upset to the local community.

"The government is pledged to stamping out this category of criminality throughout the country, by augmenting financing to combat illegal dumping, employing more staff and implementing stricter checks and penalties for those who break the law."

The apprehensions were executed on the specified day by personnel from a specialist crime unit and come after an previous detention of a 39-year-old from the Guildford area in last November. He was released awaiting additional inquiries.